From the moment in which the postal products are sent, they are divided according to the destination via automatic systems that comprise plants located throughout the territory. In particular, the automatic system may envisage a sorting stage executed in a number of steps, in which the postal items are divided, on one and the same distribution level, according to the destinations. Once ordered according to destination, the postal products are delivered by postmen, who follow predetermined routes. The automatic system may moreover envisage a sequencing stage, in which the postal products are ordered according to the predefined succession of the civic numbers along the route of the postman. In this way, when the postman follows the route with his own vehicle, the postal products are sequenced, i.e., ordered according to the civic number, in the box, and the operation of delivery performed by the postman is simplified. By way of example, the sorting stage comprises a number of steps performed individually or else in groups by automatic machinery. A first step may consist in sorting the postal products to be delivered over the regional territory, a second step may consist in sorting the postal products to be delivered over the territory of a province, and an n-th step may consist in sorting the postal products according to the different routes, one or more of which is covered by a postman.
The sequencing stage is subsequent to the step of sorting according to the postman's route and is executed by complicated and for this reason very costly machines.
The sequencing stage can be executed by a sorting machine that, appropriately programmed, performs the sequencing function.